I would like to talk about the creditable achievements of Indian women over the last few years. In the land of Tendulkar, Dhoni, Kohli and a host of other celebrity cricketers, names such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Mandhana, Harmanpreet will naturally be confined to the bottom of the backpages. Afterall, the former are cricketers who are household names. Even a kid will be able to recognise them immediately. You see them while they are involved in a game. If they are not playing a game, they are endorsing a product. You drive on the road, there they are, beaming from the billboards. They are constantly on our minds. Whereas the female players, hardly anyone has even heard about them. Such is the sad state of affairs in the country.
There is no point in blaming anyone because the women cricketers and this must be accepted, do not command the same attention like the men. This is a fact and there is no escaping that. I myself will not watch a women’s game until the very last hour and that too, only if India are about to win or hold onto a gallant draw. I am sure this is the case with most of the cricket fans in this country and I do not think that this situation is going to change even in the distant future. Let me iterate that this state of affairs is not restricted to India alone. This is the case in every country. Women’s game, be that in football, cricket, rugby or even tennis, it is the men who are ruling the roost.
Improving performances
Having said that, women’s cricket in this country is coming of age. The performance of the team is quite unbelievable given the meagre opportunities. Ever since the international sports body directed every board to merge men’s and women’s teams under one umbrella, things have improved for the Indian women. It shows in their performance but more needs to be done.
They have had a decent if not a fabulous 2021 so far. Yes, the Indian women lost both T20 and ODI series to South Africa. The fortunes really started to turn when they landed in England. The women weren’t expected to win any. England women have been playing the far longer than the Indian women. They are much more talented and have much bigger pool to choose from. Moreover, they were playing at home with everything from the pitch, spectators till living standards in their favour. To have won one ODI and one T20 against such low expectation itself was an achievement.
The only test
The real icing on the cake arrived a little later. Indian women were expected to be blown away in the only test but they came out of the game with honours intact. Sneh Rana, the lower order allrounder batted for more than 25 overs and alongwith Taniya, not only played for time but were busy in the crease too. They ensured that even if one of them got out, England still had substantial runs to score but with not many overs left. It was attrition batting at its best.
Shefali, the 16 years old kind, announced her arrival at the international scene in a grand manner. Scores of 96 and 63 and that too in quick time, reminded everyone of a certain Sehwag.
The performance was so good that the failure of Mithali Raj, the premier batswoman did not even matter.
Australian tour
The ladies are in Australia now. They have just accomplished the unthinkable. They have stopped the Australian juggernaut’s ODI winning streak at 26 games. This was easier said than done. With a little bit of luck, the women could have even won the series itself but for a controversial decision on the last delivery of the second ODI.
The 2017 world cup
The world cup is still fresh in the mind. The girls almost won but their inexperience at the biggest stage was laid bare. Nevertheless, it created a significant wave for the game amongst the women of the country.
They have already had a huge impact, if you see even in 2017, I was watching the finals of the World Cup, which took place at Lords and India did well. We were in there till the end, just in the last I thought, that the momentum shifted. But from the impact point of view, they have had a massive impact and then there are young girls in India who are picking up a cricket bat or ball, they are being motivated by these players,” Tendulkar said
Yes, the women are punching above their weight but the road is long. They have to accomplish a lot more before being considered as among the best. The BCCI must help in organising a proper first class competition for the women along the lines of Ranji Trophy. BCCI must also invest in the game and expand the game into rural areas. Organise regular tours. BCCI must have a plan similar to that of the men. Yearly domestic season and international season. Will they BCCI listen?
The women on their part must continue to outperform expectations and try to win as many as they can despite the meagre resources. They will have to force the BCCI and the Indian community to start watching more of their games.
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